At the May Meet and Greet, City CEO Tom Hatch presented Management Analyst Alma Reyes with the CEO Leadership Award.

Reyes has been with the City of Costa Mesa since January of 2011, where she began her first job as a Management Analyst for the Public Services Department. In April of 2013, she transferred into the Parks and Community Services Department to serve as both the Management Analyst and Recreation Supervisor.

In November of 2015, Reyes moved into the Fire & Rescue Department to serve as a Management Analyst and Chief Dan Stefano praised her passion for public service, team value orientation and engaged professionalism.

She provides support to the Fire & Rescue Department in the following areas: Budget preparation, procurement of supplies and equipment, processing invoices, contract administration, managing/tracking funds, monitoring of department budget, and special projects (i.e. CIPs).

She also serves in various city committees.

Prior to working in Costa Mesa, Reyes worked for 10 years for the City of Hawaiian Gardens in various areas of local government including: Administration, Public Relations, Public Safety, Public Works, Recreation, Code Enforcement and Finance.

In addition to honoring Reyes, CEO Hatch welcomed three new employees, recognized three more for promotions and congratulated Public Services Director Ernesto Munoz on his upcoming retirement.

Beginning Friday May 27, 2016, Costa Mesa Fire and Rescue will be conducting wild land fire training in the Canyon Park area beginning at 8 a.m. until about 3:30 p.m. to prepare for the upcoming brushfire season.

The department will be using cold smoke from canisters to give a sense of realism to the training and assist firefighting personnel with locating the source of the simulated fire.

Fire and Rescue wants the public to know that while smoke may be visible to nearby residents, the canisters pose no safety or fire risk.

Additional training will take place on the following days:

June 1
8 a.m. to 12 noon
1 p.m. to 3:30

June 3
8 a.m. to 12 noon

June 6
8 a.m. to 12 noon
1 p.m. to 3:30

June 9
8 a.m. to 12 noon

June 20
8 a.m. to 12 noon

Costa Mesa citizens are invited to attend several community meetings throughout the city with demographic mapping expert David Ely, of Compass Demographics, to discuss the process of creating maps for voting district boundaries.

The meetings are scheduled June 2, 4, 15 and 18 and are designed to give residents an opportunity to discuss and interact with others on the district mapping process.

Ely will typically use sample maps as a starting point to give an idea of how equal population district boundaries might be distributed and solicit input and mapping ideas during these meetings.

The meetings will be held:

• Thursday June 2 at 7 p.m. at the Neighborhood Community Center, 1845 Park Ave.
• Saturday June 4 at 10 a.m. at Halecrest Park, 3107 Killybrooke Lane.
• Wednesday June 15 at 7 p.m. at St. Joachim Catholic Church, 1964 Orange Ave.
• Saturday June 18 at 10 a.m. at the Balearic Community Center, 1975 Balearic Drive.

Translators will be present to assist with language needs in Spanish and Vietnamese.

R.S.V.P.’s are requested, but not required, to help plan for the number of attendees and translation needs.

For more information or to R.S.V.P., please email districtelections@costamesaca.gov or call the City Clerk’s office at (714) 754-5225.

Kelly Shelton, assistant to CEO Tom Hatch, was presented with the CEO Leadership Award for the month of April. See that story here.

To get a better idea of what it’s like to be the assistant to the CEO, we spent some time with her and got a glimpse of what her day is like.

See the video for more.

Mariners Christian School has earned the highest accreditation status, a six-year renewal from the dual accrediting organizations of Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

“Dual accreditation is often more difficult to achieve because there are broader and deeper evaluations of school performance, including a higher requirement for teacher and administrator training, and a detailed focus on biblical elements of instruction and organizational practice,” said Head of School Troy Moore. “When a school achieves dual accreditation, it has demonstrated its ability to meet rigorous standards, both secular and biblical in nature.”

The entire accreditation process required two years of preparation, with Vice Principal Megan Shahabi leading the effort.

The visiting committee from ACSI/WASC, which included delegates from other private schools in the Southern California region, toured the school extensively in April, with a formal accreditation being granted on May 4.

Longtime Costa Mesa resident John Carpenter, who is retiring this year after 38 years as both a teacher and coach at Estancia High School, was the recipient of the Mayor’s Award at the Tuesday May 17 City Council meeting.

“Tonight, we are honored to have long-time Costa Mesa resident John Carpenter here to receive the Mayor’s Award,” Mayor Steve Mensinger said. “John has touched the lives of many throughout this community, especially youth through his work as a teacher and coach at Estancia High School.”

Carpenter move to Costa Mesa from El Paso Texas when he was 10 and attended Sonora Elementary, Davis Jr High, Costa Mesa High School and Orange Coast College.

In high school he was an All-American swimmer and a starter on the OCC National Champion Water Polo Team in 1972. In 1985, he was named Newport Beach Lifeguard of the year.

At Estancia, Carpenter spent his career both as the school’s water polo and swim coach and also as a biology teacher, serving as the Science Department Chair.

“I’d like to thank Mayor Steve Mensinger for this outstanding and humbling honor, I am deeply touched by it,” Carpenter said. “I’d also like to thank the City Council for all you do. I can’t believe 38 years have gone by, it’s been the most wonderful time in my life and it’s going to be harder to leave it.”

Public Services Director Ernesto Munoz has accepted an offer to become Director of General Services for a private asset management group, capping a 22-year career with the City of Costa Mesa that was highlighted by several major milestones including the restoration of wetlands at Fairview Park.

“Ernesto is one of the top engineers I have worked with in my 28-year career in government service,” City CEO Tom Hatch said. “His contributions to the Costa Mesa community are far reaching and we benefitted immensely from his vision and expertise. We are going to greatly miss him here at City Hall.”

Munoz was named public services director in 2012, overseeing a staff of 120-plus employees and managing a budget of more than $22 million and a Capital Improvement Program budget of $27 million. The city has more than $500 million in assets that fall under public services purview.

“Since I took over my responsibilities as director in 2012, we have implemented a very aggressive Capital Improvement Program and constructed approximately $100 million in infrastructure improvements,” Munoz said. “We continually improved the quality of services and at the same time achieved enhanced efficiency throughout the department.”

Under his leadership, public services also brought the City’s street system’s Pavement Condition Index from 77.6 to 86.3, which is well above the County’s average PCI of 77.

In addition to the Fairview Park wetlands project, Munoz oversaw City Hall’s seismic retrofit as well as the creation of major recreation and sports venues, including the Volcom Skate Park, the Angels Tot Lot and the Jack R. Hammett Sports Complex.

One of the pools created by Costa Mesa Public Services to restore the Fairview Park wetlands.

He and his staff have completed multiple street, drainage and alley improvement projects, many with significant grant funding. Most recently, the city entered into a partnership with the OC Fair and Event Center to create a new bio-swale development that will improve walkways and help manage storm water runoff into the Back Bay.

“This has been a very emotional decision for me as I have a deep bond to this community through great relationships with residents and businesses alike,” Munoz said. “I have the best and brightest staff any director can hope for.  I have received tremendous support, both from the Councils I have served as well as community members and CEO Hatch, and I don’t regret a minute of my 22 years with this great City.”

By Robert N. Sharpnack
Chief of Police 

For many Californians, the term “Honor Roll” conjures up images of academic excellence and the proud feelings associated with seeing your name included on a prestigious list.

For those of us in law enforcement, the “Honor Roll” is not a list on which we want to find our names.  Although this list also gives rise to feelings of pride, it is the list of California peace officers killed in the line of duty.

So far in 2016, 33 names of officers who lost their lives throughout the United States were added to the national Honor Roll.

Each year, the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Foundation holds a ceremony to honor the men and women in law enforcement who have made the ultimate sacrifice and joined the list that year. The numbers vary from year to year, but since 2001, the names of 159 California Police Officers have been added to the Peace Officers’ Memorial Monument in Capitol Park in Sacramento and are included in the Honor Roll on the Foundation’s website.

Those names are also included in the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington DC and are joined by thousands of others. These brave men and women are honored each year in our nation’s capital during National Police Week that runs from May 15 to Saturday May 21.

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, on average, one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty somewhere in the United States every 61 hours. Since the first known line-of-duty death in 1791, more than 20,000 U.S. law enforcement officers have made the ultimate sacrifice.

In remembrance, we honor the sacrifice of two of our fallen family members: James D. “Dave” Ketchum and John W. “Mike” Libolt, who through noble commitment to duty, made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our community.

Both officers were killed on March 10, 1987 when their helicopter collided with a Newport Beach copter while pursuing a suspect in a stolen car. Ketchum and Libolt were both 15-year veterans and became the first Costa Mesa police officers killed in the line of duty in the department’s history

The good work that we do day in and day out does not frequently end up in the paper. It is not considered news because it is what we chose to do – protect and serve our respective communities.

None of us wants to be included on the “Honor Roll” for our service, but recognize that the Honor Roll is there to remind us that each year, there are those of us who will make the ultimate sacrifice in service to our communities.

The risk of this sacrifice keeps many from entering the law enforcement profession. Those of us who chose law enforcement start each day with a desire to serve and protect our communities by putting the safety of others before our own. We are husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters. We are coaches, counselors, mediators and mentors.

We dedicate ourselves to fighting crime and drugs to create a safe community for those we serve. We help at-risk youth in schools, parents in crisis and connect the homeless and mentally ill with services. We show up when you call 911 to help you in a time need or an emergency.

We do these things with the understanding that it’s part of our job and we proud to serve our community.

On a related note, we are proud of records specialist Tina Foster’s brother, Niagara County Sheriff’s Deputy Joe Tortorella, who received a Medal of Valor award this week from President Obama.

Below are links about the award and the actual incident. His heroic actions truly made the difference that day.

http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/deputy-tortorella-receives-medal-of-valor-from-president-obama/196825976

http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/wheatfield/acting-on-his-instincts-a-sheriffs-deputy-prevented-a-tragedy-20150504

We are fortunate to work in a community where the overwhelming majority of our population trusts and supports what we do. This support is earned by your tireless efforts to protect our citizens, enforce our laws, and keep our community safe in accordance with the core values of Teamwork, Integrity, Professionalism, and Service.

The men and women of our Department care deeply for Costa Mesa and demonstrate that care through various community engagement efforts – many of which are done on our own time.

We also strive to decrease crime and ensure a high quality of life through proactive and intelligence based policing strategies. We are grateful to serve a community that supports its Police Department and to not have to struggle with the challenges that plague many other cities.

I encourage members of the community to show that support during National Police Week by shining a blue light to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their community and to show our local heroes how much they are supported by those they serve.

CityView, a premier investment management and development firm focused on urban multifamily real estate in the Western United States, and Red Oak Investments, an urban redevelopment company active in Los Angeles and Orange County, held a naming ceremony Thursday for Baker Block, their new apartment community located at the corner of Baker and Pullman Streets.

The ceremony for Baker Block featured speeches by Mayor Steve Mensinger, Sean Burton, CEO of CityView,  Henry Cisneros, Founder and Chairman of CityView and the former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Joe Flanagan, Principal and Co-founder of Red Oak Investments.

The attendees were also treated to lunch by the Lime Truck, a popular food truck service.

When completed in mid-2017, Baker Block is expected to feature 240 residential apartments and a six-story above ground parking structure. Planned amenities include a rooftop deck, a fitness center with yoga room, a conference room, a Wi-Fi lounge, a dog park, a dog wash station, a club room with a kitchen, a bike storage and maintenance area, and multiple outdoor spaces with a resort-style pool, BBQ grills and fire pits.

“This is really a cruise ship,” Mayor Mensinger said of the development and its extensive amenities. “But it also means jobs and it means housing and this is where the next generation of Costa Mesa lives. And hopefully they will stay here for life.”

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Secretary Cisneros complimented the Costa Mesa city staff and leadership for their hard work in getting this development done.

“We need to keep up with housing of all types,” Cisneros said. “It is immensely foresighted of the leaders of Costa Mesa that they recognize that balance.”

CityView is creating the project along with its development partner, Red Oak Investments. The project sits on a 4.17-acre site previously occupied by an office building. The project is the first of significant scale to be re-zoned for residential use in the area adjacent to the South Bristol Entertainment & Cultural Arts (SoBECA) District, which is commonly known for its low-density office buildings and light manufacturing facilities.

Burton said his company is glad to be in Costa Mesa.

“Orange County is an important market for CityView as it is now entering the redevelopment phase, where obsolete structures are being converted into housing,” said Burton. “These urban infill projects are typically complex, so they are often overlooked by other investors. We are able to overcome these challenges by working with local partners who know the local market better than anyone else. The Red Oak Investments team has been instrumental in bringing Baker Block to fruition, and I thank them for all of their hard work.”

Construction for Baker Block is being led by Johnstone Moyer, Inc., one of the top-10 multifamily builders in California. The building was designed by Architects Orange.

Costa Mesa’s State Sen. John Moorlach will be part of a Town Hall discussion on Sober Living Homes tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Laguna Hills Community Center.

Moorlach will be joined by state Sen. Pat Bates and Assembly Members William Brough and Matthew Harper as they discuss the laws governing residential recovery facilities as well as what cities like Costa Mesa have done to address the issue.

Also presenting tonight will be Costa Mesa’s Assistant City Attorney Tarquin Preziosi, who has played a key role in the enactment and enforcement of the city’s single family and multi-family ordinances.

The Association of California Cities Orange County chapter as well as the Orange County Association of Realtors are partner sponsors of the event.

Click here to see the entire agenda.

The Community Center is located at 25555 Alicia Parkway in Laguna Hills.

Costa Mesa Fire and Rescue Chief Dan Stefano announced that Travis Johnson and Justin Horner, two firefighter/paramedics, were both promoted to the position of fire engineer, a personnel move that has not taken place in the department in over eight years.

“Travis and Justin represent the best of our organization and each has respectively contributed in a variety of areas, while serving the community with extraordinary passion, pride, and professionalism,”   Chief Stefano said.

Johnson brings over 10 years of fire service related experience to his new role, inclusive of his most recent nine years split between his current assignment here with us at the City of Costa Mesa and his previous assignment with the City of Escondido, serving as a firefighter/paramedic.

His mechanical savvy, positive attitude, and ability to adapt well in challenging circumstances are characteristics that will serve him well in his new role and will add to the extraordinary strength of the entire Engineer group.

Horner has been a member of the Costa Mesa team since 2005, preceded by service to the Garden Grove and Alhambra Fire Departments as a firefighter/paramedic.

Horner’s contributions to the organization, in particular as it relates to EMS, have been instrumental in helping the department move forward and his professionalism is to be commended. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University, Fullerton as well as an associate degree from Orange Coast College and was awarded the CEO’s Leadership Award in 2014.

The sound of music in the Costa Mesa High School Performing Arts Center is now many octaves improved with the addition of a Yamaha C6 Grand Piano donated through the efforts of a prominent alumni, a local family and the school’s foundation.

The piano was unveiled Tuesday night during a Costa Mesa High School Choir concert at the performing arts center.

Speaking to the concert crowd, Costa Mesa High School Foundation President and Councilmember Katrina Foley credited the school’s music director Jon Lindfors for asking the foundation to purchase the piano that was sorely needed to enhance the school’s musical performances.

“This year it is no surprise that the Costa Mesa High School Foundation awarded Mr. Lindfors with our first ever Visionary Award,” Foley said. “It’s through his vision that Costa Mesa High School breeds an environment of innovation, culture and creativity.”

In addition to the foundation donation, the piano was made possible by a $25,000 gift from Costa Mesa High class of 1992 alumnus Lane Merrifield and local residents Bob and Sue Denton.

Merrifield is notable for being the co-founder of Club Penguin, a hugely popular virtual online gaming site for children.

“My Costa Mesa High School music and drama experiences were so critical to me during my time there,” Merrifield told Lindfors in a written note. “I am confident that without the artistic outlet and foundation in my life that you and others provide, I would not have enjoyed the success I have today.”

Costa Mesa High Principal Jacob Haley thanked the donors for the gift to the school.

“A piano such as this is a once in-a-lifetime purchase and will serve students and audiences to come for many decades,” Haley said.

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